Hard Rolls for the Husband

I gave the husband his chili options yesterday, to which he said: "Why do you always do this? How about you just use the recipe you've been using?" Well, the truth is, I haven't been using a recipe. I throw different stuff in that pot every single time. So I humored him and skipped the recipes I wanted to try and stuck to my usual I'll-put-whatever-I-think-sounds-good-in-this-pot routine. And to top it off, after choosing chili for dinner, the husband said he thought he'd rather wait until today to eat it. I was back to square one.

Since I was planning to make chili, we had ground turkey and ground beef thawed in the fridge. I decided to use half of it for the chili and half of it for meatballs. I had never made meatballs with ground turkey before, though, so I was a bit skeptical. (Turns out, they were great! But the husband thinks ground turkey has a slightly strange taste, so I think we'll always have to use half turkey and half beef.)

But I'm getting ahead of myself. What to go with our homemade meatballs and Marinara? I knew if the husband found the turkey meatballs only mediocre, homemade rolls would make up for it. I threw on my vintage apron (thank you C & A!), and grabbed my classic cookbook.

There's something about that cookbook that makes me feel like I'm channeling my great-grandmother. So instead of lending the recipe to my own interpretation, I followed it exactly and pretended it was 1950. And I'm pretty sure the husband was happy I didn't put my own spin on these rolls - they were amazing! I've never made rolls so soft and chewy on the inside and crusty and hard on the outside. Best. Rolls. Ever. Apparently, sometimes a tested recipe really is a good idea, ha.

Hard Rolls

Hard Rolls

From Better Homes and Gardens

1 package yeast

1 cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups sifted flour (up to 4, if needed)

2 stuff-beaten egg whites

Soften yeast in 1/4 cup water, warmed to 110 degrees F. 

To remaining water, add sugar, butter and salt. Add 1 cup flour; beat well. Add yeast mixture, egg whites; mix. Add remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead till smooth and satiny. 

Place in greased bowl, turning to cover; let rise till double.

Punch down and let double again. Divide for rolls; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape.

Place 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheet. Cover; let double. Brush with egg yolk diluted with water. (I brushed mine with a  little egg white.)

Bake in preheated 450-degree oven for 18-20 minutes. Place a large flat pan of boiling water on floor of oven to give crustiness. Makes 24 rolls.

(Truth be told, I only made 12 rolls, but that's because I was using my rolls for meatball sandwiches. I'm sure these would make 24 perfectly sized dinner rolls, though.)